Music Reviews

world music, japan, time capsule, ecophony rinne, Geinoh Yamashirogumi, Hypersonic Audio, half-speed, listening session, berlin, Thomas Schick, Consolidated Audio, Audio-Technica

Bands like Cream and Jimi Hendrix Experience were the poster boys for the then-new musical phenomenon known as the ‘power trio,’ solidifying a guitar-bass-drums foundation rooted in blues before Grand Funk Railroad and Blue Cheer shifted into a harder trajectory. Toronto’s Rush were the next significant group to come from the boom and fuse the two sonic planes, with guitarist Alex Lifeson’s shapeshifting textures, drummer John Rutsey’s Bonham-meets-Kirke rhythm style,... Read More

After careful comparisons, there was a notable improvement in emotional connection and authority with this new reissue. The result is that Kevin Gray, Paul Blakemore and Craft, with their implementation of Plangent Processes in transferring the master tape, have provided the modern-day record collector, and seasoned enthusiasts alike, with a reasonably priced option for gathering this important era in jazz history together on brand-new high-quality audio media.

When the acoustic folk-rock band America released their debut album at the end of 1971, I bought it. When they came to my hometown the next month, I saw them play this album. That live set, along with the A-side single “A Horse with No Name” was astonishingly good. I don’t remember if they played the B-side single “Everyone I Know is From California” that night, but it ended up being one of the tightest concerts I’ve ever been to. “A Horse with No Name” (originally... Read More

Valentine's Day 2016 was a day in my musical journey that left an influential impression. I bought a copy of Pet Sounds and listened to it with headphones in the dark, as per mastermind Brian Wilson’s instructions from an old interview. My head was swirling–listening to harmonies that sounded like they came from the heavens and being astounded how the Wrecking Crew brought Brian’s grandiose arrangements to life. Tony Asher’s introspective lyrics stung me so hard... Read More

When is the right time to celebrate in a big way and pop the corks? Definitely a 100th birthday! This anniversary currently belongs to Miles Davis (May 26, 1926). But what do you do when the archives have almost nothing left to offer? A reissue or a new release? Warner Music Group is taking the easy route and releasing the previously neglected live album Miles & Quincy – Live At Montreux on vinyl as part of the Rhino Reserve series.

First things first! The Deluxe embossed, laminated cover looks swell! The "LIVE" and "FULL HOUSE" have never had this deluxe cover treatment, nor did the record ever have a gatefold edition. The gatefold photo is kind of a shocker. I never saw these guys dressed like that onstage in Boston, which is the only place I ever saw them. This set recorded live at the run down former vaudeville theater renamed the Cinderella Ballroom in rundown (at the... Read More

While I originally hadn’t planned to return to the Gothenburg Sound so soon, I cannot ignore the release of The Ghost of a Future Dead, which (probably) will be the last At the Gates album. Furthermore, it is important to me to introduce people to the legacy of frontman Tomas Lindberg, who passed away due to cancer in September 2025 and whose vocal contribution on this album was his last work.At The Gates was originally founded in 1990. Together with In Flames and... Read More

Mike Millard–disguised as a handicap–wheeled himself through the corridors of the mega arenas in Southern California during the 1970s, concealing his Nakamichi 550 cassette recorder and AKG 451E microphones. His intent in recording shows was only to trade for others, frowning upon the practice of his tapes being distributed and sold by bootleggers. Millard’s recordings set a new standard for generally good-sounding bootlegs during a time when they often sounded poor... Read More

It's a safe bet that Kenny Dorham is better known in 2026 than when he was alive and performing. He died young at 48. Another safe one would be that he's sold more records over the past few years than he did when he was active. And boy, was he active both as a sideman and as a leader. Always underrated and unfairly in the shadow of some of the big names of his time, it could fairly be stated that now is Kenny Dorham's time.He played with Hampton,... Read More

Scott Walker’s career can be divided into two parts: before 1978’s Nite Flights, and after it. Before Nite Flights, Scott Walker was the Walker Brothers crooner who, after the group’s dissolution, moved onto solo material where he extensively covered Jacques Brel then started writing more of his own songs, as each solo record from 1967’s Scott through 1969’s Scott 4 became more musically sophisticated and lyrically complex. The entirely original Scott 4 is now regarded as one of the greatest records of all time (even if Scott 3 is my favorite), yet it hardly sold upon release and Phillips quickly deleted it from their catalog.

"Best sounding Pet Sounds ever released" proclaims the hype sticker on the just-released Definitive Sound Series One-Step Pet Sounds mono reissue. It's my claim and I'm sticking with it, more convinced than ever now that I've heard the final pressing, which for some reasons sounds even more transparent and detailed than the test pressings. Well, that's why those are called "test pressings."Producer Tom "grover" Biery... Read More

Kaiser Chiefs took the stage at Leeds Festival on August 30th, 2009, before embarking on a two-year hiatus. The indie rock quintet had remained together since 1997 under the name Runston Parva, later shortened to Parva, and spent a year recording an album for Mantra Recordings that went unreleased before the label folded. Not satisfied with their repertoire and direction, Parva was no more, and they forged a new beginning as Kaiser Chiefs in 2003. The stigmatization... Read More

With algorithms’ tendency to rinse-and-repeat ad nauseam and the crushing mediocrity of the current pop landscape, it’s no wonder our culture can’t get enough of nostalgia. All the biggest pop acts right now are referencing somebody or something, right up to the Coachella stage.

I’ve always thought of Sonic Youth as the Grateful Dead for insufferable people.

Hi, it’s me, I’m insufferable people!

During their active years, Children of Bodom could be considered one of the most influential bands in the Metal communities. A couple of years back, the early and most influential Children Of Bodom albums were released, remastered done on analog master tape by none other than Anssi Kippo, the recording engineer who recorded many of the band's impactful albums during the late 90s and early 2000s and who has moved heavily into analog recording in his studio since... Read More

One of the challenges for any young musician wanting to carve out a niche in the classical music world, but in particular the recorded music market, is finding a way to stand out not just from the current crop of artists competing for punters’ hard earned cash, but from the many legacy musicians whose benchmark recordings are still easily available in one form or another.It really doesn’t matter how good you are, you’ve got to find an angle. Especially if you want to... Read More

Let’s put the lede where it belongs: This is a terrific, even an exciting album. Marta Sanchez topped last year’s Downbeat critics’ poll in the category of Rising Star Pianist. With this album, she has risen—holding a berth among the top echelon of jazz pianists, period.Born and schooled in Spain, Sanchez has led bands on six albums since moving to Brooklyn 15 years ago. Her new one, For the Space You Left (on the Out of Your Head Records label), is her first solo... Read More